Catching up ... a wonderful, busy, crazy July!

Life has been so full this month! I feel like kind of wrung out, like an old dish rag, but, that said, I've been soaked in a great mix family, friends and fun, so it's a good, happy tired. First, a Fourth of July barbeque with friends and homemade ice cream made for a great holiday! Then we dove into a mix of swimming lessons and house projects (see previous entry). And then Tiffany, Phillip's girlfriend came to visit for a week. She is a lovely girl, and we enjoyed our time with her very much. I'm amazed she survived her visit, however, considering how full we packed it. The first day was Bach Fest, with amazing concerts that reminded me of how much I love classical music. Then we went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter, getting there at 6 PM and earning spaces at the very front of the line. Yahooo!

After the movie, we caught a mere hour of sleep and then caught the train to Seattle for a wonderful, crazy day introducing Tiffany to Seattle. Went to the space needle, Pike's Place Market, etc... Phillip bought Tiffany and I flowers (lilies for her, sweet peas for me), and he danced with the girls to street musicians under the shadow of the space needle.


The next day we traveled to Anacortes to board the Mystic Sea for a whale-watching trip I'd arranged for Phil's fathers day celebration. Wow! It was amazing to see the orcas breaching against the backdrop of misty islands. Finished Tiffany's visit with the kids kayaking across the lake and traveling to Leavenworth to see the Sound of Music.

Then, as Tiffany left us, I took the train to Seattle again, to meet Shannon and Carrie for our 2nd annual Girls Getaway. What fun!!! Exactly what this tired old mom needed. We took a chocolate tour at Theo's Chocolate Factory (and ate way too many samples), climbed the Fremont troll, visited the famed bubblegum wall at Pike's Place (my first time), ate way too much, especially at Patty's Egg Nest, stayed up talking to midnight in our pajamas and played Pooh Sticks at Deception Falls.